Securing a wader belt

ABSTRACT

A method for securing a belt to a pair of waders is described. In one embodiment, the method includes forming the belt, attaching a strip of material to a front side of the waders within a waist area of the waders, and looping the strip through an opening of the belt. In some embodiments, the belt includes a strap and a buckle. Forming the belt includes feeding an end of the strap through the belt buckle, folding the end of the strap back on itself after feeding the end of the strap through the belt buckle, and attaching the end of the strap to the strap.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. Application No. 61/979,069, entitled INVENTION FOR PERMANENT ATTACHMENT OF A BELT TO A FLY FISHING WADER, ONE PIECE SUIT OR PANT OR ANY SIMILAR USE, and filed by Teri Noelle Davis on Apr. 14, 2014, which is incorporated herein in its entirety by this reference.

BACKGROUND

Waders may refer to a type of waterproof boot that extends from the foot up the leg. Traditionally, wader may be made from vulcanized rubber, but materials may also include one or more of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), neoprene, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) such as GORE-TEX®, and the like. Waders may include hip waders that extend from the foot to the hip and come in two separate pieces for each leg, pants waders that are waterproof pants, and chest waders that extend up past the hips. Waders may include integrated boots or integrated stockings to wear inside a separate pair of boots.

Pants waders and chest waders may include a belt to assist in keeping the waders up when being worn. Losing a belt on a pair of waders is a problem commonly reported among users of waders such as fisherman. Often, the belt is lost long before the user realizes the belt is missing. In some cases, the belt may be lost while the user is in a body of water such as a lake, river, or ocean. Losing a belt in a body of water increases the likelihood of the user not being able to retrieve the belt.

SUMMARY

According to at least one embodiment, a method for securing a wader belt is described. In one embodiment, the method includes forming the belt, attaching a strip of material to a front side of the waders within a waist area of the waders, and looping the strip through an opening of the belt. In some embodiments, the belt includes a strap and a buckle. Forming the belt includes feeding an end of the strap through the belt buckle, folding the end of the strap back on itself after feeding the end of the strap through the belt buckle, and attaching the end of the strap to the strap.

In some embodiments, the strip is attached to the waders in between belt loops attached to the waders. In some cases, the method includes overlapping the strip on itself after looping the strip through the opening of the belt and attaching the strip to itself after overlapping the strip on itself. In one embodiment, the method includes looping the strip through the opening of the belt includes looping the strip through the opening made by the fold in the strap where the belt buckle is attached to the strap.

In one embodiment, the method may include forming an eyelet on at least one side of the belt buckle. Looping the strip through the opening of the belt may include looping the strip through the eyelet. The belt buckle may include a male side and a female side. In some cases, the belt buckle is a snap-fit buckle. In some cases, the strip is folded and attached to the waders at the fold. The strip may include a first strip and a second strip separate from the first strip. The second strip may be a different length than the first strip. In some cases, the first and second strips are the same length. Looping the strip through the opening of the belt may include looping the second strip through the opening of the belt.

An apparatus or securing a belt to a pair of waders is also described. The apparatus may include a strip of material. The strip of material may be attached to a front side of the waders within a waist area of the waders. In some cases, the strip is looped through an opening of the belt. The belt may include a strap and a buckle. To form the belt an end of the strap may be fed through the belt buckle and folded back on itself after feeding the end of the strap through the belt buckle. The end of the strap may be attached to the strap to secure the belt buckle to the strap.

Features from any of the above-mentioned embodiments may be used in combination with one another in accordance with the general principles described herein. These and other embodiments, features, and advantages will be more fully understood upon reading the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings illustrate a number of exemplary embodiments and are a part of the specification. Together with the following description, these drawings demonstrate and explain various principles of the instant disclosure.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating one embodiment of a pair of waders;

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating one example of a pair of waders in which the present methods and apparatuses may be implemented;

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating one example of a belt buckle in which the present methods and apparatuses may be implemented;

FIG. 4A is a diagram illustrating one example of a belt buckle in which the present methods and apparatuses may be implemented;

FIG. 4B is a diagram illustrating one example of a belt buckle in which the present methods and apparatuses may be implemented;

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating one example of a belt buckle in which the present methods and apparatuses may be implemented;

FIG. 6A is a diagram illustrating one example of a belt buckle in which the present methods and apparatuses may be implemented;

FIG. 6B is a diagram illustrating one example of a belt buckle in which the present methods and apparatuses may be implemented;

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating one example of a pair of waders in which the present methods and apparatuses may be implemented;

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating one example of a pair of waders in which the present methods and apparatuses may be implemented;

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating one example of a pair of waders in which the present methods and apparatuses may be implemented;

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating one example of a pair of waders in which the present methods and apparatuses may be implemented;

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating one example of a pair of waders in which the present methods and apparatuses may be implemented;

FIG. 12 is a flow diagram illustrating one embodiment of a method for securing a wader belt;

FIG. 13 is a flow diagram illustrating one embodiment of a method for securing a wader belt; and

FIG. 14 is a flow diagram illustrating one embodiment of a method for securing a wader belt.

While the embodiments described herein are susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments have been shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in detail herein. However, the exemplary embodiments described herein are not intended to be limited to the particular forms disclosed. Rather, the instant disclosure covers all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the scope of the appended claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

The apparatus and methods described herein relate to securing a belt on a pair of waders. More specifically, the apparatus and methods described herein relate to using a strip of material to secure a belt worn on a pair of waders. Losing a belt on a pair of waders is a problem commonly reported among users of waders such as fisherman. Often, the belt is lost long before the user realizes the belt is missing. In some cases, the belt may be lost while the user is in a body of water such as a lake, river, or ocean. Losing a belt in a body of water increases the likelihood of the user not being able to find the belt. In one example, a strip is attached to a pair of waders and attached to a belt worn on the pair of waders to secure the belt on the waders.

In one embodiment, the methods for securing a belt to a pair of waders may include forming the belt. The belt may include a strap and a buckle, and the belt may be formed by feeding an end of the strap through the belt buckle, folding the end of the strap back on itself after feeding the end of the strap through the belt buckle, and attaching the end of the strap to the strap. The end of the strap may be attached using any combination of adhesive, sewing, snapping, riveting, bar tacking, VELCRO®, buckling, and the like. The methods may include attaching a strip of material to a front side of the waders within a waist area of the waders and looping the strip through an opening of the belt. In one example, looping the strip through the opening of the belt includes looping the strip through the opening made by the fold in the strap where the belt buckle is attached to the strap. In another example, the methods may include forming an eyelet on at least one side of the belt buckle and looping the strip through the opening of the belt may include looping the strip through the eyelet.

In some embodiments, the strip is attached to the waders in between belt loops attached to the waders. The methods may include overlapping the strip on itself after looping the strip through the opening of the belt and attaching the strip to itself after overlapping the strip on itself. The strip may be attached to itself using any combination of adhesive, sewing, snapping, riveting, bar tacking, VELCRO®, buckling, and the like. In some cases, the belt buckle includes a male side and a female side. The belt buckle may be a snap-fit buckle. In some embodiments, the strip is folded and attached to the waders at the fold in the strip so that from the attachment point two ends of the same strip extend, appearing as two strips extending from the attachment point. In some embodiments, the strip includes a first strip and a second strip separate from the first strip, the first and second strips being attached to the waders near the waist area and in between the two belt loops on the front of the waders. The second strip may be a different length than the first strip. For example, the second strip may be longer than the first strip. In some cases, looping the strip through the opening of the belt may include looping the second strip through the opening of the belt. For instance, the second strip may be looped through the opening created when the strap of the belt is folded and attached to itself to secure the buckle to the strap. The second strip may be fed through this opening and then attached to the first strip, thereby securing the belt to the pair of waders.

An apparatus for securing a belt to a pair of waders may include a strip of material attached to a front side of a pair of waders and within a waist area of the waders. In some cases, the strip is looped through an opening of the belt. The belt may include a strap and a buckle, an end of the strap being fed through the belt buckle and folded back on itself after feeding the end of the strap through the belt buckle to and attached the folded strap to itself to secure the buckle to the strap. In some embodiments, the strip is attached to the waders in between belt loops attached to the waders. In some embodiments, the strip is overlapped onto itself after looping the strip through the opening of the belt. In some cases, the strip is attached to itself after overlapping the strip on itself. Looping the strip through the opening of the belt may include looping the strip through the opening made by the fold in the strap where the belt buckle is attached to the strap.

In some embodiments, the apparatus includes an eyelet formed on at least one side of the belt buckle. Looping the strip through the opening of the belt may include looping the strip through the eyelet. In some embodiments, the belt buckle may include a male side and a female side. For example, the belt buckle may include a snap-fit buckle. In one embodiment, the strip is folded and attached to the waders at the fold. In some embodiments, the strip includes a first strip and a second strip separate from the first strip. The first and second strips may be attached to the waders in the waist area between the belt loops attached to the front of the waders. The second strip may be a different length than the first strip. In some embodiments, looping the strip through the opening of the belt includes looping the second strip through the opening of the belt. The second strip may be attached to the first strip using any combination of adhesive, sewing, snapping, riveting, bar tacking, VELCRO®, buckling, and the like.

The strip may include any combination of metal, plastic, rubber, nylon, silk, cloth, and/or one or more types of polymers. In some cases, the strip may include a woven material such as a woven cloth and/or an elasticated woven cloth. In some cases, the strip may include silk webbing, rayon webbing, and/or elastic webbing. In some embodiments, the strip may include draw cord, flattened draw cord, and/or taping such as PTFE tape (e.g., GORE-TEX® tape, TEFLON® tape, etc.). The eyelet may include one or more of metal, plastic, rubber, nylon, silk, cloth, and/or one or more types of polymers. The eyelet material may be affixed to one side of a belt buckle. In one embodiment, the eyelet material may be affixed by adhesive. In some cases, the eyelet may be affixed by heat. Additionally, or alternatively, the eyelet may be affixed by a molding process. For example, a negative of the eyelet may be formed in a mold for the belt buckle so that the eyelet is a part of the buckle and formed when the belt buckle is formed by filling the mold with the material for the buckle and eyelet. The strap of the belt may include any combination of leather, metal, plastic, rubber, nylon, silk, cloth, and/or one or more types of polymers. The buckle may include any combination of leather, metal, plastic, rubber, nylon, silk, cloth, and/or one or more types of polymers.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating one embodiment of a pair of waders 100. Although chest waders are depicted, chest waders are just one example of the pair of waders that may be used in conjunction with the methods and apparatuses described herein.

As illustrated, the waders 100 may include a strip of material (“strip”) 105, one or more front belt loops 110, and a waist seam 115. In one embodiment, the strip 105 may be attached at or within a predetermined distance of the waist seam 115. For example, the strip 105 may be attached to the waders 100 at or within three inches of the waist seam 115. As depicted, the strip 105 is attached at the waist seam 115.

The waders depicted include two front belt loops 110. In one embodiment, the strip 105 may be attached on the front of the waders 105 in between the front belt loops 110. The strip 105 may include a single strip or two or more strips. In some embodiments, the strip 105 may be folded and attached to the waders 110 at the fold in the strip 105. Thus, the two segments of strip 105 depicted may be the two ends of the same strip with the fold in the strip being attached to the waders 110. As depicted, the ends of the strip 105 may be the same length. In some embodiments, the length of one end of the strip 105 may be longer than the other end. In some embodiments, strip 105 may include two separate strips attached to the waders.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating one example of a pair of waders 200 in which the present methods and apparatuses may be implemented. As illustrated, the waders 200 may include two front belt loops 110-a and a strip 200. The belt loops 110-a may be similar to the belt loops 110 of FIG. 1. The strip 200 may be one example of the strip 105 of FIG. 1. As depicted, strip 200 may include a first segment that is longer than a second segment. As described above, the strip 200 may include a single strip folded and attached to the waders 200 at the fold. Alternatively, the strip 200 may include two or more strips attached to the waders 200. Thus, in one embodiment, one separate segment of strip 200 may be longer than another separate segment. As illustrated, the strip 200 may be attached to the right of the center of waders 200 and towards the right belt loop 110-a (when wearing the waders 200). Alternatively, the strip 200 may be attached to the left of the center of the waders 200. Moreover, the strip 200 may be attached at the center of the waders 200.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating one example of a belt buckle 300 in which the present methods and apparatuses may be implemented. In one embodiment, the belt buckle 300 may include a snap-fit buckle. As illustrated, the belt buckle 300 may include a female side 305 and a male side 310. The male side 310 may include an eyelet 315. The eyelet 315 may be attached to the male side 310 in one embodiment. In some cases, the eyelet 315 may be formed at the same time as the male side 310 is formed such as by a plastic mold including the negative mold form of the male side 310 and eyelet 315, so that when the mold for the male side 310 is formed the eyelet 315 is formed simultaneously.

FIG. 4A is a diagram illustrating one example of a belt buckle 400A in which the present methods and apparatuses may be implemented. The belt buckle 400A may be one example of the belt buckle 300 of FIG. 3. In one embodiment, belt buckle 400A includes the male side 310 snapped into the female side 305 of the belt buckle 400A. As depicted, the male side 310 may include eyelet 315. The eyelet 315 may be placed at a location on male side 310 so that eyelet 315 does not obstruct male side 310 from being attached to female side 305, as depicted, making eyelet 315 accessible whether the male and female sides 305 and 310 are attached or not.

FIG. 4B is a diagram illustrating one example of a belt buckle 400B in which the present methods and apparatuses may be implemented. The belt buckle 400B may be one example of the belt buckle 300 of FIG. 3. In one embodiment, belt buckle 400B includes the male side 310 snapped into the female side 305 of the belt buckle 400B. As depicted, the male side 310 may include eyelet 315. In one embodiment, belt buckle 400B may be a side-view of belt buckle 400A, the side of belt buckle 400A that includes the eyelet 315. As illustrated, the eyelet 315 may be located on the side of male side 310 towards the top of male side 310. In some embodiments, the eyelet 315 may be located in any area of male side 310 left exposed when male side 310 is attached to female side 305.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating one example of a belt buckle 500 in which the present methods and apparatuses may be implemented. As depicted, belt buckle 500 may include a female side 505 and a male side 510. The female side 505 may include an eyelet 515.

FIG. 6A is a diagram illustrating one example of a belt buckle in which the present methods and apparatuses may be implemented. The belt buckle 600A may be one example of the belt buckle 500 of FIG. 5. In one embodiment, belt buckle 600A includes the male side 510 snapped into the female side 505 of the belt buckle 600A. As depicted, the female side 505 may include eyelet 515. The eyelet 515 may be placed at a location on female side 505 so that eyelet 515 does not obstruct male side 510 from being attached to female side 505, as depicted, making eyelet 515 accessible whether the male and female sides 505 and 510 are attached or not.

FIG. 6B is a diagram illustrating one example of a belt buckle in which the present methods and apparatuses may be implemented. The belt buckle 600B may be one example of the belt buckle 500 of FIG. 5. In one embodiment, belt buckle 600B may be a side-view of belt buckle 600A, the side of belt buckle 600A that includes the eyelet 515. As depicted, the eyelet 515 may be attached on an upper side surface of female side 505. Although the eyelet 515 is depicted as being on a particular side of female side 505, in some embodiments, the eyelet 515 may be located in any area of female side 505 left exposed when male side 510 is attached to female side 505.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating one example of a pair of waders 700 in which the present methods and apparatuses may be implemented. The waders 700 may include a male side 705 of a belt buckle attached to a strap 710 of a belt for the waders 700. The male side 705 of the belt buckle may be one example of the male side 310 of FIGS. 3, 4A, 4B, and/or the male side 510 of FIGS. 5, 6A, 6B. In one embodiment, the male side 705 of the belt buckle may include an eyelet 715. As illustrated, a first strip 720 may be attached to the waders 700 at the waist seam 735. A second strip 725 may be attached to the waders 700 also at the waist seam 735. In some embodiments, the first strip 720 and second strip 725 may be the same strip that is folded and attached to waders 700 at the waist seam 735 where the strip is folded. Alternatively, the first strip 720 may be separate from the second strip 725.

As depicted, first strip 720 may attach to second strip 725 at attachment point 730. In some embodiments, attachment point 730 may include at least one of an adhesive, sewing of thread, bar tacking, VELCRO®, a buckle, a snap, and/or other like attachment mechanisms. As illustrated, attachment 730 includes a sewing and/or bar tack attachment.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating one example of a pair of waders in which the present methods and apparatuses may be implemented.

As illustrated, the waders 800 may include one or more belt loops 110-b, a strap 805 of a belt, a female side 810 of a belt buckle, and a male side 815 of the belt buckle. The strap 805 may be fed through the belt loops 110-b. The male side 815 of the belt buckle may include an eyelet 820. A strip 825 may be attached to the waders and fed through the eyelet 820 to secure the belt to the waders 800. The strip 825 may be attached within a waist area of the waders 800. For example, the strip 825 may be attached at the waist seam of the waders 800 in between the front belt loops 110-b. Although depicted with the eyelet 820 on the male side 815 of the belt buckle, it is understood that the eyelet 820 may be additionally, or alternatively, attached to the female side 810 of the belt buckle.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating one example of a pair of waders in which the present methods and apparatuses may be implemented.

As illustrated, the waders 900 may include one or more belt loops 110-c, a strap 905 of a belt, a female side 910 of a belt buckle, and a male side 915 of the belt buckle. The strap 905 may be fed through the belt loops 110-c. In some embodiments, an end of the strap 905 may be fed through an opening of the female side 910 of the belt buckle. The end of the strap 905 may be folded or looped back on itself so that the strap 905 overlaps itself. The strap 905 may be attached to itself, creating an opening 925 in the strap 905. The strap 905 may be attached to itself using an adhesive, sewing, bar tack, one or more buttons, VELCRO®, a snap, and the like. As illustrated, strap 905 is sewn to itself creating a strap seam 920. A first strip 930 may be attached to the waders 900. A second strip 935 may be attached to the waders 900. For example, the strips 930 and 935 may be attached at a waist seam of the waders 900 in between the front belt loops 110-c. In some cases, the first and second strips 930 and 935 may include a single strip folded and attached to the waders 900 at the fold. Alternatively, the first and second strips 930 and 935 may be separate strips. The first strip 930 and/or second strip 935 may be fed through the top of opening 925, out of the bottom of opening 925, and the strips 930 and 935 attached to one another to secure the belt to the waders 900. In some embodiments, a single strip may be fed through the opening 925 and the ends of the single strip may be attached to the waders 900. For example, a single strip may be fed through the bottom of opening 925 and the first end of the strip that is fed through the bottom of opening 925 may be attached to the waders 900. The second end that runs up behind the opening 925 and behind strap 905, as illustrated, may be attached to the waders 900 within a predetermined distance of the first end of the strip such as within three inches. In some embodiments, one or more eyelets may be included on the belt buckle and attached to the waders 900 using one or more strips in addition to feeding a strip through opening 925.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating one example of a pair of waders in which the present methods and apparatuses may be implemented.

As illustrated, waders 1000 may include a strap 1005 of a belt, a female side 1010 of a belt buckle, a male side 1015 of the belt buckle inserted into the female side 1010, an attachment point 1020 of the strap 1005 to itself after feeding an end of the strap 1005 through an opening of the female side 1015 of the belt buckle, and looping the strap 1005 back over and onto itself and attaching the end of the strap 1005 to the strap 1005 itself, creating an opening 1025 in the strap 1005. The strap 1005 may be attached to itself at attachment point 1020 using one or more adhesives, sewing, bar tacking, snap buttons, riveting, VELCRO®, one or more buckles smaller than buckle 1010/1015, heating and/or melting strap 1005, heating or melting an element onto strap 1005, and the like.

The waders 1000 may include at least one belt loop 1030. The waders 1000 may include a first strip 1035 and a second strip 1040 attached to waders 1000. As illustrated, the strips 1035 and 1040 are attached at a waist seam 1050 of waders 1000. In some embodiments, the first strip 1035 is separate from second strip 1040, both strips 1035 and 1040 being attached to the waders 1000 separately. In some embodiments, the strips 1035 and 1040 are a single strip attached to the waders 1000 at a fold in the strip, leaving one segment of the single strip dangling longer than the other segment, the longer segment being fed through the opening 1025 and attached to the other segment of the same strip.

The waders 1000 may be one example of waders 100 of FIG. 1, waders 200 of FIG. 2, waders 800 of FIG. 8, and/or waders 900 of FIG. 9. The belt loop 1030 may be one example of the one or more belt loops 110 of FIGS. 1, 2, 8, and 9. The strap 1005 may be one example of strap 710 of FIG. 7, strap 805 of FIG. 8, and/or strap 905 of FIG. 9. The belt buckle 1010 and 1015 may be one example at least in part of buckle 300 of FIG. 3, buckle 400A of FIG. 4 a, buckle 400B of FIG. 4B, buckle 500 of FIG. 5, buckle 600A of FIG. 6A, buckle 600B of FIG. 6B, buckle 705 of FIG. 7, buckle 810 and 815 of FIG. 8, and/or buckle 910 and 915 of FIG. 9. The strips 1035 and 1040 may be one example at least in part on one or more of strip 105 of FIG. 1, strip 200 of FIG. 2, strips 725 and/or 720 of FIG. 7, strip 825 of FIG. 8, and strips 930 and/or 935 of FIG. 9.

In one embodiment, second strip 1040 is fed through opening 1025 and attached to the first strip 1035. As illustrated, in one embodiment, second strip 1040 is fed through the bottom of opening 1025, extended out the top of opening 1025 and attached to first strip 1035 at attachment point 1045. Attachment point 1045 may include at least one of adhesive, sewing, bar tacking, VELCRO®, melting, heating, and the like.

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating one example of a pair of waders in which the present methods and apparatuses may be implemented.

As illustrated, waders 1100 may include a strap 1105 of a belt, a female side 1110 of a belt buckle, a male side 1115 of the belt buckle inserted into the female side 1110, an attachment point 1120 of the strap 1105 where strap 1105 is attached to itself after feeding an end of the strap 1105 through an opening of the female side 1115 of the belt buckle, and looping the strap 1105 back over and onto itself and attaching the end of the strap 1105 to the strap 1105 itself, creating opening 1125 in the strap 1105. The waders 1100 may include at least one belt loop 1130. The waders 1100 may include a first strip 1135 and a second strip 1140 attached to waders 1100. As illustrated, the strips 1135 and 1140 are attached at a waist seam 1150 of waders 1100. In some embodiments, the first strip 1135 is separate from second strip 1140, both strips 1135 and 1140 being attached to the waders 1100 separately. In some embodiments, the strips 1135 and 1140 are a single strip attached to the waders 1100 at a fold in the strip, leaving one segment of the single strip dangling longer than the other segment, the longer segment being fed through the opening 1125 and attached to the other segment of the same strip.

The waders 1100 may be one example of waders 100 of FIG. 1, waders 200 of FIG. 2, waders 800 of FIG. 8, waders 900 of FIG. 9, and/or waders 1000 of FIG. 10. The belt loop 1130 may be one example of the one or more belt loops 110 of FIGS. 1, 2, 8, and 9, and/or loop 1030 of FIG. 10. The strap 1105 may be one example of strap 710 of FIG. 7, strap 805 of FIG. 8, strap 905 of FIG. 9, and/or strap 1005 of FIG. 10. The belt may be one example at least in part of buckle 300 of FIG. 3, buckle 400A of FIG. 4 a, buckle 400B of FIG. 4B, buckle 500 of FIG. 5, buckle 600A of FIG. 6A, buckle 600B of FIG. 6B, buckle 705 of FIG. 7, buckle 810 and 815 of FIG. 8, buckle 910 and 915 of FIG. 9, and/or buckle 1010 and 1015 of FIG. 10. The strips 1135 and 1140 may be one example at least in part on one or more of strip 105 of FIG. 1, strip 200 of FIG. 2, strips 725 and/or 720 of FIG. 7, strip 825 of FIG. 8, and strips 930 and/or 935 of FIG. 9, and strips 1035 and/or 1040 of FIG. 10.

In one embodiment, as illustrated second strip 1140 may be fed through opening 1125 and attached to first strip 1135 by at least a snap button 1145. Additionally, or alternatively, second strip 1140 may be attached to first strip 1135 using at least one of adhesive, sewing, bar tacking, VELCRO®, a mini buckle smaller than buckle 1110 and 1115, heating and/or melting the strip and/or melting an element on the strip, and the like.

FIG. 12 is a flow diagram illustrating one embodiment of a method for securing a wader belt. In some configurations, the method 1200 may be implemented one or more aspects of the features depicted in FIGS. 1-11 and described above.

At block 1205, the method 1200 may include forming a belt. At block 1210, the method 1200 may include attaching a strip of material to a front side of the waders within a waist area of the waders. At block 1215, the method 1200 may include looping the strip through an opening of the belt. An opening in the belt may include at least one of an already-existing opening in the belt buckle, an already-existing opening in the strap of the belt, an opening made by looping and attaching the strap to itself (e.g., as described herein), an eyelet added to or molded with the buckle (e.g., as described herein), a hole made in the strap and/or buckle, and the like.

FIG. 13 is a flow diagram illustrating one embodiment of a method for securing a wader belt. In some configurations, the method 1300 may be implemented one or more aspects of the features depicted in FIGS. 1-11 and described above.

At block 1305, the method 1300 may include attaching a strip of material within a waist area of the waders in between two belt loops on the front of the waders. At block 1310, the method 1300 may include forming an eyelet on at least one side of the belt buckle. At block 1315, the method 1300 may include looping the strip through the eyelet. At block 1320, the method 1300 may include overlapping the strip on itself after looping the strip through the eyelet. At block 1325, the method 1300 may include attaching the strip to itself after overlapping the strip on itself.

FIG. 14 is a flow diagram illustrating one embodiment of a method for securing a wader belt. In some configurations, the method 1400 may be implemented one or more aspects of the features depicted in FIGS. 1-11 and described above.

At block 1405, the method 1400 may include attaching a strip of material within a waist area of the waders in between two belt loops on the front of the waders. At block 1410, the method 1400 may include forming a loop in a strap of a belt by folding the end of the strap back on itself after feeding the end of the strap through a belt buckle and attaching the strap to itself. At block 1415, the method 1400 may include looping the strip through the loop formed in the strap of the belt. At block 1420, the method 1400 may include overlapping the strip on itself after looping the strip through the loop formed in the strap of the belt. At block 1425, the method 1400 may include attaching the strip to itself after overlapping the strip on itself.

While the foregoing disclosure sets forth various embodiments using specific diagrams, flowcharts, and examples, each diagram component, flowchart step, operation, and/or component described and/or illustrated herein may be implemented, individually and/or collectively, using a wide range of material, product, component (or any combination thereof) configurations. In addition, any disclosure of components connected to other components should be considered exemplary in nature since many other configurations can be implemented to achieve the same functionality.

The process parameters and sequence of steps described and/or illustrated herein are given by way of example only and can be varied as desired. For example, while the steps illustrated and/or described herein may be shown or discussed in a particular order, these steps do not necessarily need to be performed in the order illustrated or discussed. The various exemplary methods described and/or illustrated herein may also omit one or more of the steps described or illustrated herein or include additional steps in addition to those disclosed.

The foregoing description, for purpose of explanation, has been described with reference to specific embodiments. However, the illustrative discussions above are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in view of the above teachings. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the present systems and methods and their practical applications, to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the present systems and methods and various embodiments with various modifications as may be suited to the particular use contemplated.

Unless otherwise noted, the terms “a” or “an,” as used in the specification and claims, are to be construed as meaning “at least one of.” In addition, for ease of use, the words “including” and “having,” as used in the specification and claims, are interchangeable with and have the same meaning as the word “comprising.” In addition, the term “based on” as used in the specification and the claims is to be construed as meaning “based at least upon.” 

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for securing a belt to a pair of waders, comprising: forming the belt, wherein the belt includes a strap and a buckle, and wherein forming the belt includes: feeding an end of the strap through the belt buckle; folding the end of the strap back on itself after feeding the end of the strap through the belt buckle; and attaching the end of the strap to the strap; attaching a strip of material to a front side of the waders within a waist area of the waders; and looping the strip through an opening of the belt.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the strip is attached to the waders in between belt loops attached to the waders.
 3. The method of claim 1, comprising: overlapping the strip on itself after looping the strip through the opening of the belt; and attaching the strip to itself after overlapping the strip on itself.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein looping the strip through the opening of the belt includes looping the strip through the opening made by the fold in the strap where the belt buckle is attached to the strap.
 5. The method of claim 1, comprising: forming an eyelet on at least one side of the belt buckle.
 6. The method of claim 5, wherein looping the strip through the opening of the belt comprises looping the strip through the eyelet.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the belt buckle includes a male side and a female side, the belt buckle being a snap-fit buckle.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the strip is folded and attached to the waders at the fold.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the strip includes a first strip and a second strip separate from the first strip, the second strip being a different length than the first strip.
 10. The method of claim 9, wherein looping the strip through the opening of the belt comprises looping the second strip through the opening of the belt.
 11. An apparatus for securing a belt to a pair of waders, comprising: a strip of material, the strip of material being attached to a front side of the waders within a waist area of the waders; wherein the strip is looped through an opening of the belt; wherein the belt includes a strap and a buckle, an end of the strap being fed through the belt buckle and folded back on itself after feeding the end of the strap through the belt buckle; and wherein the end of the strap is attached to the strap.
 12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the strip is attached to the waders in between belt loops attached to the waders.
 13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the strip is overlapped onto itself after looping the strip through the opening of the belt, and wherein the strip is attached to itself after overlapping the strip on itself.
 14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein looping the strip through the opening of the belt includes looping the strip through the opening made by the fold in the strap where the belt buckle is attached to the strap.
 15. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the apparatus includes: an eyelet formed on at least one side of the belt buckle.
 16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein looping the strip through the opening of the belt comprises looping the strip through the eyelet.
 17. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the belt buckle includes a male side and a female side.
 18. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the belt buckle comprises a snap-fit buckle.
 19. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the strip is folded and attached to the waders at the fold.
 20. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the strip includes a first strip and a second strip separate from the first strip, the second strip being a different length than the first strip, and wherein looping the strip through the opening of the belt comprises looping the second strip through the opening of the belt. 